


I Will Always Find You

by Bright_Moon_Beam



Series: Felt like Home [5]
Category: The Dolan Twins, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Being Lost, Blood and Injury, Brotherly Affection, Brothers, But I Love Them, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Gray is a dork, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Showing Off, So is Ethan, Stupidity, Wilderness, Wilderness Survival
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:18:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22010146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bright_Moon_Beam/pseuds/Bright_Moon_Beam
Summary: Grayson knew a lot about survival. No one doubted that, but he still felt the need to talk about it mostly just to make Ethan mad. When he tries to be a little too helpful though it results in disastrous consequences. Good things it wasn't the first time Ethan had to find him when he was lost. Unfortunately though it probably wouldn't be the last.
Relationships: Ethan Dolan & Grayson Dolan, Ethan Dolan/Grayson Dolan
Series: Felt like Home [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1501043
Comments: 20
Kudos: 43





	I Will Always Find You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Laurie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laurie/gifts).



> College is hard and when trying to free up storage on my phone I accidentally deleted everything on my google docs :) I’m doing good HBU?
> 
> In all seriousness, I have been busy and I have really been struggling to just sit down and write. I’m feeling a little more focused now and the twins newer videos are really helping me with my creative juicesss
> 
> Thank you again for the lovely suggestion @Laurie

“Shit!” Gray cursed, staring at the sea of trees in front of him, his mind racing. 

He had ventured away to collect some more material for the shelter. Nick had told them their shelter wasn’t going to be complicated or glamorous and he knew that. There would be no epic shots of him chopping down bamboo poles with his machete like they had done back in Jersey, and he understood that.

He wanted it to be well made though. He wanted to make it as safe as possible for all of them and he wanted the fans to see that he could really do it. Ethan teased him for being over dramatic with all this survival stuff, but he knew it was just because his brother really wasn’t that into it. It was purely to indulge him and Grayson knew that, which is why he felt a little guilty for dragging him into it. It was played up for the cameras of course, but Ethan really did have a tough time. He wasn’t as fragile and useless as Grayson joked he was, but the heat and the bugs were something Ethan didn’t like to cope with, and he didn’t have the passion that Grayson had about survival to make it all worth it.

As selfish as it was though, another part of Grayson was glad Ethan wasn’t into it. It was something distinguishable. Something that was distinctly him. Everyone who knew them well knew they both had different interests and hobbies, but anyone that knew them well was also aware that they shared quite a few hobbies too. They were raised the same way and always introduced each other to anything new they found, and it made it easy to do everything together.

It wasn’t supposed to become a competition and he assured Ethan of that all the time. He didn’t really think Ethan was useless because he wasn’t as good at building things because it was Grayson’s hobby even if they always seemed to be doing it together. He didn’t really think Ethan was weak just because he could never survive out in the wild without Grayson either.

It just felt good. 

It felt good to be better at it. He didn’t think anything less of Ethan, but rather more of himself. So what? He wanted to show off a little. Survival was his thing and he liked to go on tangents about water purification and natural mosquito repellents while Ethan made shoes with Duct Tape and Bark.

That’s why he wanted to gather something a bit more sturdy to help support the shelter. That’s why he grabbed a camera and mentioned something about being right back to Kyle before trudging through the trees while Ethan talked to Nick about the bite on his neck. 

He swore he didn’t walk that far. He had filmed a little bit about Ethan being dramatic and explained how they needed to get off the ground to be a bit more safe when they slept. It happened fast, and he had found the material he wanted. He gathered a sufficient amount before turning back, but after walking for about 10 minutes the way he was sure he came from, he was still surrounded by the australian bush with no Ethan, Kyle, or Nick in sight.

Sweat dripped from his brow, streaking down his cheek as the sun sank lower in the sky. Dusk would be setting in soon, and he hadn’t brought anything with him other than the shirt on his back and the little camera. Nothing to combat the onslaught of darkness that was about to creep over the horizon or the wildlife that would follow it. 

“Shit,” He cursed again, rubbing his eyes as he tried to stay calm and think. He couldn’t have wondered too far. It was impossible. He just didn’t want to keep going in the wrong direction and put even more distance between himself and the crew. 

“Ethan!” he called out, dropping his hands from eyes as he looked around for any movement that wasn’t a giant possum or a crocodile hanging from a tree which he really wouldn’t put past the Australian wilderness at this point. 

He could feel his heart beat faster, the panic edging in closer and closer no matter how many times he told himself that he needed to stay calm. 

“E, can you hear me?” He called out again, spinning in the opposite direction.

He needed to hurry. He needed to make a plan and his feet itched to move. They were sore and scorched from walking this far, yet the panic induced adrenaline urged him to run through the trees. To push his way through all the spiderwebs until he was back at Ethan’s side and safe. His mind told him to move as well. To back track and pick a different direction. To look for the lights that were going to kick on soon and to hear the voices that would inevitably be looking for him as well. As fed up as E was with his survival bullshit he would be worried.

His feet were glued to the hard ground however. Something stronger than his common sense and anxiousness called out to him to stay put. To wait. Maybe Ethan was already looking for him. He did always seem to be able to find him. How could he rely on that though? How could he just sit as the sun set without even trying to get himself out? He was like a sitting duck here, so he ignored his instinct and shrugged off the leadened feeling, starting to move slowly back the way he came. 

It was hard to know where to look. He was surrounded on all sides by potentially dangerous things and landmarks that might help him get back, yet all he wanted to do was look down at his feet. The ground was beginning to cool as the air did slightly, but it was still jagged and ridden with all kinds of things that also had the potential to kill him. 

He forced himself to search his surroundings in the dimming light, calling out to Ethan every once in a while incase he was getting close, yet he heard nothing in reply but the bugs that began to cry shrilly. It sent shivers down his spine and began his spiral into paranoia.

He felt as if he was being watched. He could feel eyes gazing through the leaves, glued on him from all sides. He may be ridiculous. He may be dramatic, yet he was sure of it and he knew it wasn’t Ethan. 

He began to move faster, stumbling a bit as it got darker and darker. Every movement in the trees, and every noise loud or soft added flame to the fire under his ass, and eventually he was running. He was just wasting energy. It was something no one would advise him to do and he knew that. He was being idiotic, but he needed to get back to Ethan and he needed to get back to him now.

His chest heaved and he silently yearned for a puff of his inhaler. He looked all around for any signs of light or human noise and ignored everything else he should have been paying a little more attention to.

In his practical hysteria he missed the sharp edge of a rock jutting out of the dark mass of ground. He may not have seen it, but he felt it slice the underside of his foot, a startled groan escaping his lips as he came to a stop.

“Fuck!” he picked his foot off the ground with a wince. The pain was sharp and persistent and he could feel the warm blood drip down between his toes the sound of it splattering on the hard ground making him feel sick to his stomach.

He carefully lowered himself down to the ground, biting down hard on his bottom lip to hush the sounds of the pained noises he was making. He tried his best to assess the damage, holding up his wounded food in his hands, but it was too dark and there was too much blood to see anything clearly. His hands were becoming slick with it. He was sure if Ethan was here he would be gagging over it. His brother always did have the weaker stomach.

With shaking hands he pulled off his own shirt, ripping it so he could tie it as tightly as possible around his foot. It was far from professional but it was the only thing he could do. He had no other resources and the amount of blood soaking through the fabric and the amount of pain he was currently in was making it obvious to him that he couldn’t continue trying to walk back to get some help. He couldn’t walk at all.

“Great Job, Grayson. You really are an idiot aren’t you?” He spoke aloud into the void of darkness, closing his eyes as he hung his head, shame washing over him. He just had to be extra. He just had to wonder out to try and go the extra mile, and now he was alone and in the dark regretting this entire idea in the first place.

“Was it worth it, huh?” He asked the mud. He could feel his heart beating in his foot and he began to feel faint. He didn’t know if it was from being so worked up or if he was actually losing enough blood to lose consciousness. “Do you feel like a man now?” His voice cracked as he spoke and a moment later his stomach growled rather loudly.

It seemed completely hopeless. It could be the end of him. He wasn’t stupid enough to forget how quickly a sitation like this could be dire, yet the feeling from earlier was still there. The feeling telling him to plant his feet. The feeling that home was close even when their house was thousands of miles away from them. Ethan. 

Grayson felt himself fade in and out as he sat and waited. He heard the animals stir in the trees, feel as the ants began to crawl over his feet and up his legs, see the word around him grow impossibly more and more dark, the smoke in the sky from the fires blocking out even the starlight. He never once gave up hope that Ethan would find him. It was as clear to him as it was clear that the earth revolved around the sun.

He wasn’t sure when exactly he fell asleep. He had waited at least an hour in the dark before things became hazy. He remembered exactly how he woke up though. His body felt as if it was on fire, every inch of his skin was covered in sweat and the shirt around his foot was red and soggy. The world around him was distorted, his ears and mouth felt full of cotton. He could see Ethan clearly though. His eyes looking into Grayson’s own and eventually he could feel his hand tapping insistently on his cheek to bring him back to.

“Grayson! Gray! Wake up!” Ethan’s hands felt cool against his skin and he leaned into his touch trying to clear the fog from his brain.

“I’m right here, Gray. I promised them I would find you and here I am.” Ethan laughed obviously immensely relieved before pulling Grayson into a crushing hug. Grayson clung back to him, melting into his touch, allowing all the pent up tension to dissolve. 

“Ethan, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen—” he began to explain, going silently when Ethan pulled back, holding his cheeks to look into his eyes.

“Not now, Bro. We both know you are a dumbass so we don’t really need to talk about it. What we need to do is get you back so Nick can drive you to the hospital. What the hell did you do to your foot, man?”

Ethan let go and stood up, reaching down for Grayson’s hand to pull him into a standing position. Grayson went up on one foot, using Ethan for almost complete support as they limped to the nearby noise and lights of the rest of their party.

“I got bit by a crocodile,” Grayson tried, wheezing when Ethan looked at him in utter awe. 

“Seriously Gray! What happened?”

Grayson would tell him about the rock eventually, but for now he was enjoying keeping Ethan guessing. It was a great way to keep his mind off of the pain and a reminder that nothing had changed. Ethan would always find him no matter how much of a selfish jerk he was.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry that this was a little shorter than normal! hopefully it was still good! I know I still had fun writing it <3
> 
> I also hope everyone has been having a good holiday season!


End file.
